Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves has selected Eric Winstrom, the police chief of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to lead the Pensacola Police Department, completing a national search and setting the city’s law enforcement agency on a new course after months of interim leadership.
Winstrom is expected to start on March 2, pending approval by the Pensacola City Council, the city said in a news release. Kristin Brown, who has served as acting chief since last summer, will move into the deputy chief role during the transition, according to the release.
In announcing the selection, Reeves framed the decision as a high-stakes leadership choice.
“Choosing the right person to lead our police department is perhaps the most important decision I will make as your mayor,” Reeves said in the city’s announcement.
The hire follows the July 2025 resignation of former Chief Eric Randall, after which Brown, a 29-year veteran and the department’s longest-serving captain, was tapped as acting chief. Reeves later said the city and Randall agreed to part ways after long-running concerns about employee engagement and confidence in leadership.
Since then, the city has conducted a national search, weighing candidates from inside and outside the department. At Wednesday’s press conference announcing the choice, Reeves said the decision turned on the department’s immediate need for experienced administrative leadership rather than whether the next chief came from within.
“I did not subscribe to the definitions of internal or external,” Reeves said. “It’s just about what we prioritize as the key need for our department.”
Winstrom arrives with experience in both large and mid-sized departments. According to the city’s release, he began his law enforcement career with the Chicago Police Department in 2000 and rose to the rank of commander over 21 years, with leadership roles that included overseeing child sex crimes investigations and managing large commands. In 2022, he was hired as chief in Grand Rapids after a national search.
The city also pointed to staffing gains under Winstrom’s tenure there. When he arrived in Grand Rapids, the department was budgeted for 302 officers but had about 260 sworn officers, the release said. “There are now 312 sworn officers on the force so that the department can better keep pace with the needs of the city,” the city said.
Winstrom’s own remarks focused less on metrics and more on trust and culture — themes he said would shape his early months in Pensacola.
“Trust is a key component not only of leadership within a police department but also between the department and the community it serves,” Winstrom said in the city's release. “I’m well aware that trust is earned and there are no shortcuts in earning it. I am eager to get to work with the team already in place at PPD.”
At Wednesday's press conference, he also acknowledged that skepticism is common in policing, particularly when a chief is hired from outside the community.
“I get it … Keep an open mind,” Winstrom said. “I know that I have to earn your trust, and I’m going to work extremely hard.”
Winstrom tied that message to a broader view of where he sees Pensacola heading.
“Pensacola’s looking to strive to thrive in an ethical way, and in a way that lifts everyone up," he said in the release. "Policing is an integral part of that effort. Everyone wants to be on a winning team. Pensacola is a winning team, and I am looking forward to being part of that."
Looking ahead, Winstrom said he has begun conversations with department leaders about gun violence, fraud, and the city’s unhoused community. He argued that police often become the default responders to problems rooted in homelessness and mental health, even when long-term solutions extend beyond law enforcement.
“Unfortunately, throughout the country … police have been the default,” he said.
He said his approach in Grand Rapids was to separate homelessness from criminal behavior while still addressing crime.
“We will decouple housing status with criminal behavior,” he said.
Reeves, for his part, thanked Brown for her leadership during the interim period and said the city’s long-term goal is to rebuild depth in the department’s leadership ranks so future vacancies can be filled from within.
“My focus was on finding the person who is the right fit for our community with the ability to lead PPD into the future," he said. "... I look forward to working with Chief Winstrom to help write PPD’s next chapter."
